Gas pipe punctured, causing evacuations

Police close area near intersection of Third, Congress streets Tuesday morning

Updated 10:39 pm, Tuesday, November 27, 2012

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Firefighters survey the scene of a gas leak Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012 at the corner of Congress and Third streets. Traffic was closed at the intersection. (Skip Dickstein / Times Union)

Firefighters survey the scene of a gas leak Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012 at the corner of Congress and Third streets. Traffic was closed at the intersection. (Skip Dickstein / Times Union)

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National Grid workers clear away debris to crimp off the gas service that was ruptured by construction workers at a site on the northwest corner of 3rd and Congress Streets in Troy, N.Y. Nov 27, 2012 (Skip Dickstein/Times Union) less

National Grid workers clear away debris to crimp off the gas service that was ruptured by construction workers at a site on the northwest corner of 3rd and Congress Streets in Troy, N.Y. Nov 27, 2012 (Skip ... more

Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN

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A National Grid worker looks in a hole where a gas service was ruptured by construction workers at a site on the northwest corner of 3rd and Congress Streets in Troy, N.Y. Nov 27, 2012 (Skip Dickstein/Times Union) less

A National Grid worker looks in a hole where a gas service was ruptured by construction workers at a site on the northwest corner of 3rd and Congress Streets in Troy, N.Y. Nov 27, 2012 (Skip Dickstein/Times ... more

Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN

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National Grid workers and Troy firefighters confer after a gas service was ruptured by construction workers at a site on the northwest corner of 3rd and Congress Streets in Troy, N.Y. Nov 27, 2012 (Skip Dickstein/Times Union) less

National Grid workers and Troy firefighters confer after a gas service was ruptured by construction workers at a site on the northwest corner of 3rd and Congress Streets in Troy, N.Y. Nov 27, 2012 (Skip ... more

Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN

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A woman covers her mouth and nose in the area where a gas service was ruptured by construction workers at a site on the northwest corner of 3rd and Congress Streets in Troy, N.Y. Nov 27, 2012 (Skip Dickstein/Times Union) less

A woman covers her mouth and nose in the area where a gas service was ruptured by construction workers at a site on the northwest corner of 3rd and Congress Streets in Troy, N.Y. Nov 27, 2012 (Skip ... more

Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN

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Troy firefighters stand by as National Grid workers crimp off the gas service that was ruptured by construction workers at a site on the northwest corner of 3rd and Congress Streets in Troy, N.Y. Nov 27, 2012 (Skip Dickstein/Times Union) less

Troy firefighters stand by as National Grid workers crimp off the gas service that was ruptured by construction workers at a site on the northwest corner of 3rd and Congress Streets in Troy, N.Y. Nov 27, 2012 ... more

Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN

Gas pipe punctured, causing evacuations

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TROY — A crew digging up a tree near a busy downtown intersection broke a pipe, sending gas hissing into the air and forcing city officials to close the intersection and evacuate nearby buildings on Tuesday morning.

The gas began to escape about 10:10 a.m. from the ruptured line near the intersection of Third and Congress streets, near where a Dunkin' Donuts is being built.

At 11:20 a.m., a National Grid worker reached into the hole, crimped off the end of pipe and stopped the flow of gas.

Assistant Fire Chief James Hughs said the leak happened as a crew was trying to remove a tree. He said roots tangled around the pipe may have caused the break.

Congress Street was closed from Third Street to Fourth Street until early afternoon.

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The nearby Rensselaer County Courthouse stayed open and testimony continued in the trial of an elections commissioner accused of ballot fraud.

Hughs said the fire department let the gas dissipate while awaiting National Grid workers. The utility crew used a backhoe to dig around the pipe, he said, because there were no shut-offs at the site.

The fire department checked basements in the area for gas, and discovered a high level of carbon monoxide in a nearby building. The cause was a defective furnace and the business was shut down. Although the cause was unrelated to the gas leak, Hughs said, a potentially dangerous situation was averted.